Texas abortion rights activists broke up a Sunday service at Houston’s Lakewood Church and were escorted out of the building.
Members of the Texas chapter of “Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights” shouted “It’s my body, my choice” and stripped down to their underwear before they walked out of the worship space. They continued to demonstrate in front of the building.
Coco Das, an organizer with Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights, explained the urgency behind the protest.
“We really are in an emergency when it comes to abortion rights,” Das said, citing a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade. The court is expected to issue its decision in a few weeks.
“Online there was a lot of support,” Das said of what the Texas chapter did on Sunday. “There have also been debates and controversies.”
BREAK @lakewoodchurch service disrupted by @tx4abortion campaigners determined to STOP SCOTUS from taking away the right to abortion have declared ABORTION ON DEMAND AND NO EXECUTION!
When they were removed, they chanted MY BODY MY CHOICE!
Overthrow Roe? Surely not! https://t.co/Y0oCPlHcsr pic.twitter.com/aTvGfwthlB– Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights (@riseup4abortion) June 5, 2022
Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights bases much of its platform on the green wave movement in Latin America, which obtained the decriminalization of abortion in Argentina, Mexico and, more recently, in Colombia.
Das said his organization’s audience consists of “millions of people” who don’t want Roe v. Wade is knocked down, but doesn’t know how to act.
“It was provocative,” Das said of Sunday’s protest. “It actually resonated with people on a very large scale.”
Lakewood Church pastor Joel Osteen has previously declared his opposition to abortion.
The church did not respond to Houston Public Media’s request for comment on the protest.